Grace in performance. Photo: Greenwich & Docklands International Festival
On Friday 28 and Monday 31 August 2020, Greenwich Dance took part in Greenwich & Docklands International Festival.
Grace, created by Maria Ghoumrassi in collaboration with Colleen Joseph was a tribute to the key workers who had looked after all of us during the pandemic. Performed in front of Luke Jerram’s beautiful installation In Memoriam in the serene surrounds of Woolwich Common, it felt particularly poignant as it was the first performance many of us had attended since lockdown.
GRACE is a choreographed moment of reflection that was created entirely under lockdown conditions by an intergenerational cast from our over 55s group Dancing To The Music of Time led by Maria Ghoumrassi, and Lotus Youth Dance Company led by Colleen Joseph.
This thoughtful creation started with a one-minute silence and was offered as a gesture of gratitude to those on the frontline and the carers in our lives. It was presented as a way to mourn our loved ones and build community resilience in these difficult times.
The piece was rehearsed on Zoom and performed in a socially distant manner outside, with audience members seated 2 metres apart from each other. The one moment of touch was with artist and dancer Maria and her daughter, and done at a time when touching those we love was something denied to so many of us, it created a profound moment of emotion and contemplation.
The piece also featured music by Maria’s son Andalous Ghoumrassi, in addition to a soothing soundscape of the dancers’ own spoken stories.
